1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to orthopedic surgical devices and, more particularly, to a spinal stabilization system.
2. Background of Related Art
The spinal column is a complex system of bones and connective tissues that provide support for the human body and protection for the spinal cord and nerves. The adult spine is comprised of an upper and lower portion. The upper portion contains twenty-four discrete bones, which are subdivided into three areas including seven cervical vertebrae, twelve thoracic vertebrae, and five lumbar vertebrae. The lower portion is comprised of the sacral and coccygeal bones. The cylindrical shaped bones, called vertebral bodies, progressively increase in size from the upper portion downwards to the lower portion.
An intervertebral disc along with two posterior facet joints cushion and dampen the various translational and rotational forces exerted upon the spinal column. The intervertebral disc is a spacer located between two vertebral bodies. The facets provide stability to the posterior portion of adjacent vertebrae. The spinal cord is housed in the canal of the vertebral bodies. It is protected posteriorly by the lamina. The lamina is a curved surface with three main protrusions. Two transverse processes extend laterally from the lamina, while the spinous process extends caudally and posteriorly. The vertebral bodies and lamina are connected by a bone bridge called the pedicle.
The spine is a flexible structure capable of a large range of motion. There are various disorders, diseases and types of injury, which restrict the range of motion of the spine or interfere with important elements of the nervous system. The problems include, for example, scoliosis, kyphosis, excessive lordosis, spondylolisthesis, slipped or ruptured discs, degenerative disc disease, vertebral body fracture, and tumors. Persons suffering from any of the above conditions typically experience extreme or debilitating pain and often times diminished nerve
Spinal fixation apparatuses are widely employed in surgical processes for correcting spinal injuries and diseases. When the disc has degenerated to the point of requiring removal, there are a variety of interbody implants that are utilized to take the place of the disc. These include interbody spacers, metal cages and cadaver and human bone implants. In order to facilitate stabilizing the spine and keeping the interbody in position, other implants are commonly employed, such as bone screws and connecting rods.
In the case of set screw type bone screws, torsional force is required to threadably insert the set screw into the head of the bone screw to secure the connecting rod to the bone screw. Alternatively, in the case of a taper lock type bone screw, additional tools are needed to move an outer housing of the taper lock type bone screw relative to an inner housing of the taper lock screw to secure the connecting rod to the bone screw.
Therefore, a need exists for a simple and effective screw and rod construct that enables surgeons to easily and safely secure a connecting rod to bone screws during a surgical procedure.